Forbidden Love

Chapter 28

The next day at 11 I walked through the park towards the meeting place I always met Joe. He was right it was a nice day. The park was already very busy.

When I got there Joe wasn't alone. He was with Joanne and Andy.

"Hey!" I smiled at them all when I reached them, "hi Andy!" I waved at him.

"Liva!" He waved back but was too interested in the ball in front of him.

"He remembers me!" I gushed looking at Joe like this was my biggest achievement ever.

"Yep," Joe said, "sorry about bringing everyone. There was a change of plans back home."

"Don't be silly," I dismissed, "I love hanging out with your brother!" I felt like I was ignoring Joanne so quickly added, "and it will be good to get to know Joanne more."

"I can take Andy, if you two want to spend some time together?" Joanne offered.

"No! Andy is definitely my favourite brother. Don't take him away!" I joked.

I then sat down next to Andy, "what are you playing, little man?" I asked.

"Ball." He held it out to me.

I took the ball and gently threw it back to him.

He caught it with a giggle. 

"Good catch!" I cheered.

He tried to throw it back to me but it went soaring to the left. I dived for it and missed.

Andy laughed.

"Are you laughing at me, mister?" I asked him in a playful tone, tickling his sides to make him laugh more, "are you?" 

He continued to laugh.

Joe went to fetch the ball.

"She's good with him." Joanne said to Joe when he got back.

"He loves her. We've got to be careful letting him see her though because afterwards he's all 'liva!liva!' And even mum knows what that means."

Joanne laughed, "sounds a bit like you."

Joe shoved her lightly and she shoved her back.

"How are you going to stop him today?" Joanne asked.

I looked at Joe curious for his answer.

He pulled a chocolate bar out of his pocket, "I'm hoping this will distract him and hopefully he'll love his big cousin too."

"Stick to the chocolate bar, I'm not good with babies." Joanne said.

I rolled my eyes at both of them, "is he not too small for chocolate?" I asked concerned.

"A little won't do him any harm." Joe promised me.

Joe sat down on the grass next to me.

"Hi." I kissed him quickly.

"What do you do with a baby all day?" Joanne asked sitting down with us looking at Andy sceptically as he happily played between us.

I couldn't help myself as I laughed, "just keep them happy."

"It's that easy?" She didn't look or sound convinced.

"Pretty much." I looked at Joe who shrugged.

"He's an easy enough baby." Joe said.

"How come you aren't looking at houses with your mum?" I asked Joanne.

"Oh don't get me started!" She flopped back in the grass and then launched straight into the story, "it was suppose to be just my mum and me right? Simple. But then my aunt decided she wanted to come, fine. Then she decided we needed my uncle to come along. Mums cars only got 4 seats and we have to pick up the estate agent so she can actually show us the houses! I tried to argue that I should be able to go.."

"She did." Joe jumped in. 

"I really did. But I don't know how much you know about my aunt but once she's got an idea in her head that's her set. So my aunt and uncle are picking a house with my mum and Joe and I are looking after Andy."

"Ah," I said, "sorry." I offered.

"I'm over it." She waved off.

I laughed.

We spent the day in the park. Lounging in the early year sun, playing with the baby and laughing. I was starting to really like Joanne.

Joe had packed and brought a picnic with him that we ate for lunch.

At four o'clock Andy started to cry when the ball he was playing with rolled away.

"It's alright." I said going to get it and giving it back to him.

He hugged the ball and then cuddled into me, sucking his thumb. 

I stroked his hair gently, "it's ok." I told him.

"He's tired," Joe explained, "he usually has a nap during the day. We should probably take him home. Mum and dad should be home soon anyway."

"Ok." I smiled at Andy he was falling asleep against me.

Joanne collected up their stuff and Joe tried to pick up Andy. He started crying.

I stroked his back to try and get him to calm down. It only made him worse, "stay!" He cried. He must have known he was going home.

"We can't." Joe said in a sad voice, "but look!" He said all happy, he produced his chocolate bar.

"Joe that's not going to work." I shook my head but was cut off by Andy's face.

His eyes grew wide and his mouth small as he locked in on the chocolate.

"He might like you better but he's still my brother." Joe said with pride.

I rolled my eyes in amusement and Joe gave Andy a square of chocolate and he took it eagerly, all of his attention on it.

"I'll see you later?" Joe asked me.

"Yeah." I reached up and kissed him briefly.

"See ya." I said to Joanne and went home.

When I got home my mum ran out of the kitchen excitedly, "Olivia!" She said in joy, "you're home early! You just missed your granny on the phone! Guess what? I have some exciting news!" She said with with biggest smile I had seen on her in a long while.

"What?" I asked, it must be news from home I thought, coming from my granny.

"Your granny and grandpa are coming here over Easter! They're going to stay the whole a week!"

"Really?" I grinned too. Out of everything from back in Belfast my grandparents are probably what I missed the most.

My mum nodded, "we'll have to start tidying up around here," she looked around the spotless house, "they're coming in just 5 days time! And your bedrooms! Lord help me with your bedrooms!" Mum started panicking.

"They won't care about our house! They've been round ours a million times when it's been messier than this!" I remind my mum thinking of when we used to live only around the corner from my grandparents.

Mum ignored me, "I'll have to change my big shop for Easter." She started rattling on about everything she had to do.

I followed her when she went back into the kitchen to make a list.

"Where are they going to stay?" I asked.

"Here of course!" Mum said like I'd asked a stupid question.

"Yes I know! But where?" We didn't exactly have a spare room.

"They'll take yours and Ethan's room." Mum said like it was easy.

"Both of our rooms?"

"Yes, Olivia." She sighed, like this wasn't hard to understand, "you only have single beds, you can't expect two people to sleep in one of those beds."

I think back to when Joe and I did just that, "no of course not." I shook my head of those thoughts, "where will we sleep though?"

"You two can take the sofas down here in the living room. I'll get you some sleeping bags. You'll be alright it's only a week."

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